Ask Lemmy

It seems like a subtle thing on the surface, but it’s not.

Indeed, it's not. So many large US corps have been instantly shifting their so-called support like good little soldiers...

The kicker? I need this job.

Unless one is Musk or one of his close friends, don't we all need money?

It's up to you to decide what to do. I mean, I know what I would do but I also know I'm not in your shoes and that would not be fair for me to push you one way or the other.

What I can say is that you have all my sympathy. That new US president has created some real mess. I imagine most US citizens won't be aware of that but that US president also reached out to those foreign non-US owned private corps (like, here in France) that are doing business with the US gov telling them they should stop their local, non-US inclusive policy if they wanted to keep doing business with the US gov. That's the new version of the 'Land of the free as long as you agree with the boss', I suppose?

Take the job, and as part of doing a good job, you should point out, ONE TIME ONLY, that they’re using the incorrect word.

Back this up with an “appeal to authority” citing a dictionary definition and a style guide from an expert on anti-harassment training.

If they don’t accept your correction, drop it.

That’s doing your job to the best of your ability while not hurting your own livelihood.

you need the job. take it, and do it well like the client wants. invest time in developing options so that you won't have to take this job again.

your personal survival comes first

Take the job if you need it. You’re not going to change their minds.

Clear your conscience by doing some pro bono work for a gender issues non-profit or small company that is LGBTQ+ friendly/owned—especially if they are a competitor to this company.

Gradually, ween yourself off this company.

So I used to do a lot of freelance, and encountered similar situations a few times.

The most blatant example that comes to mind was a charity run. I had the client reach out for AV gear and crew for a charity run. They needed some projectors and a small stage (and all of the AV gear+crew to go with the stage) for a charity event; They were going to be at a college campus, with joggers making laps on a 1/2 mile loop. For every lap, sponsors would donate to charity.

The projectors and stage were to give the MC a place to be, and to keep the audience entertained while the joggers ran. They’d have a band playing, and cap the event off with a movie screening. Sounds fun. I quoted the job like any other gig. The perceptive reader may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned what kind of charity they were raising funds for. That’s because I didn’t think to ask ahead of time. I got there, and discovered it was a pro-life fundraiser. Fucking yikes.

But I still did the job. I needed the money, and didn’t want to burn future bridges with other companies that were involved. I simply made a mental note to ask more questions the next time a charity event came across my desk. But the big takeaway is that even if I didn’t do it, someone else inevitably would have. The event still would have happened, and the charity money still would have been raised. At least with me doing it, I was able to avoid adding another enthusiastic voice (whoever would have taken my spot) to the echo chamber. Even if I had climbed up on stage to interrupt the event, it wouldn’t have changed any minds. Afterwards, I donated what I could afford to Planned Parenthood and moved on.

if this is about your survival, then survive.

surviving doesn't mean you care any less; you're taking care of yourself and hopefully in the future you'll be in a better position to speak up for those rights like you obviously want to in the future.

Take the job. Do some activism in your spare time.

If I were in your shoes, I would probably mention the change in tone/word choice to the lead on the project since you have a good relationship with them. Just mentioning that you noticed the change and aren't sure about it doesn't need to be combative, and I would be truly shocked if it cost you the job. Depending on your state it might even be illegal to fire you for something like that.

I personally would not take a stand or refuse to do the voiceover or anything like that. I would make it clear that I would do the voiceover using the script as it is written. I would think of it as providing feedback rather than making demands, which seems like it would be within the purview of a QA reviewer.

This way you can at the very least get more information about the situation - find out whether this was an intentional change. If so, it may be time to start making moves so you can eventually drop this company.

Choose your battles smartly, that's the only way we'll win.

Ignore the self-righteous advice and take are of yourself first. We can't fight back against oppression by sacrificing ourselves when it accomplishes nothing. That just means one less person is available to fight back when it does matter. The stakes do matter. They're not asking you to kill people.

In the middle- to long-term you should think about how to deal with the larger problem. To avoid situations like this you may need to develop new contacts, find similar wok in other sectors, or even find another kind of work. Those are things that will take time and planning, so work on them while you do what's needed to keep yourself going.

Always do what you can and look for ways you can do more, but make sure any sacrifices you decide to make are worth the likely results.

The replies here are disappointing but not surprising. If you willfully cross your moral boundaries, those aren't your moral boundaries.

It's not fair you should have to make this choice and I don't believe you deserve the negative consequences of standing by your morals in this situation, but reality doesn't care about any of that. You still have to make the choice and you still have to deal with the outcome.

No way in hell would I break my own code of ethics for an employer. I've said no before and I will again. Sometimes that costs me financially. I feel for you.

I didn't see this in the comments. You said you had a good relationship with the project lead - can you just ask about it casually from the perspective of product improvement? Not make a big deal of it but just a "hey I noticed you said sex instead of gender. That's a thing that might raise an eyebrow (or something to that effect)".

If you're doing QA, there's nothing wrong with asking a question about a choice someone made. Full disclosure: I don't work in this industry, I don't know anything about content vs. voiceover.

I know it doesn't solve your "should I do this" dilemma, just a thought on an alternative approach 😊

First off, sorry you're in an impossible situation. Some POS at the company is adhering to old views to treat groups like shit for no reason other then their ego. That's shit.

I would take this as a sign it's time to start finding other customers. Like you said, you need this job, any comment isn't going to change the content, and they are doing it because being terrible to marginalized groups is the current shitty "answer" to income inequality.

I'd do the job, and then act upon your morals to search for either other places to work or other jobs. That way you can eventually tell them to pound sand.

You and I don't own this system, we have to survive in it. You aren't actively hurting anyone. Do it, get the paycheck that keeps a roof over your head, then find some way to make a positive impact in your local community. Is there a place with resources for LGBT youth/young adults that you could volunteer at or donate to?

My take on it, at least. I'm not helping anyone if I get evicted. The employer is the one showing a lack of morals/ethics, not you.

Take the job. If you don't take it, some asshole who agrees with the changes will take it. Better to be you to take it, so it goes out of the anti-woke echo chamber.

Take the job if it would be financially unwise to not. Bigots will be bigots regardless of what you do. Burning a bridge won't change their minds, but it will cost you money

In practice, no one will be hurt by this change, except for the pain caused by a defeat in the culture war. If I were you, I would consider risking my career over real harm done to individuals, but not over abstract harm done to an idea, even an idea I supported.

Money over other peoples well being, your choice.